How's your knowledge of 70 & 71 340 valve covers?

i thought the chrome ones were kinda weird having all the factory tabs on them. worthless?almost. lol

both tall ones are in the same spot

these several years ago, still have them. That's original paint and they came off of a 71 340 (Duster) notice the wire tabs on the pass side. Forget for a minute that they were on a 71 Duster, let's assume for a minute that they could have been swapped on and that they were on a 70 at one time. One thing is for certain, that's original factory paint and they only painted 340's orange 2 years, 1970 & 71. So, the quetion remains for what period in time did this style get used exactly?

My 1971 Duster 340 has these type valve covers. it's a late build car, (july 9th) and has the blue color engine..

Here are two different drivers side covers (shown in bare steel), notice the different location of the rear upright? Please explain this if anyone can.

Hi Scott, i have gotten a few sets of the 340 valve covers you show in the first pick over the last 8 months or so and for what its worth a few sets of "standard" sb covers, i have noticed all the wire stands on the drivers side where in the same spot to the 32nd of a inch this includes the standard 318 ect.. covers with the short stand, I did notice they very in orientation like some are at say the 11:00 position and some are in the 11:30 position you can see that in one of my pics. As for the heat sheild i always thought it was for the t-quad cars with their wider carb bodys moving the choke linkage and well very close to the V/C. I thought it was a late 70 on some AVS cars, and 71 only thing but i/ve had guys tell me 69's would have those to, so i'm very confussed about the sheild also. I think the whole V/C was painted orange including the sheild but i'm going to keep the sheild black for some contrast.

Scott, here is a pic (a bad pic) of some origonal 73 318 valve covers. They look to be the same as the 340 ones you posted unless I'm missing something.

On the last pic you posted Scott i would give my uneducated guess that that bottom cover is a 6 bbl cover tab i thought was moved back to clear the long linkage of the 6 bbl

pic

another

BTW the underside of the V/C including the baffles look all the same 318/340 cant tell the difference between the two.

Burdar,

Can you measure the distance between the rear edge of your DS standoff and the outermost edge of the rear lip? It looks to be further back on the cover than Ademons pics show correct? Like the example shown in my bare steel pics that is further back?

*Edit, nevermind, I just noticed that your standoff is a different style so it's mute.

Scott, Chrisf chrome v/c has the same hole in the standoff as the 73 blue motor

Here is the same bare steel DS cover pictured above during the paint stripping process. It was originally painted blue so while I can't confirm what it came off of, one thing is for certain, it wasn't an AAR or a TA.

I see now that the stand off on my pic is angled at the top and the other pics show the stand off as being straight.

Looks like something is their, i could be wrong time to get a new monitor.

i will take another pic of the chrome ones

The pass side wide wire retainer flap started in 1969, here's an example, unrestored 69 Dart engine bay with the flap. Notice that in 69 the pass side VC would have the PCV valve and corresponding smaller hole punchout, unlike the 70 and later which had the pcv on the drivers side and the larger hole dia for the breather cap on the pass side.

Some pictures I took 10 years ago:

The ones with the paint coming off were on a standard 340 car but I can't remember if it was a 70 or 71. The freshly painted ones were from my friends T/A and they were original to the T/A 340 motor.

Thanks for posting those Steve, I think I remember seeing them here before. So, it appears that the pass side TA/AAR application (and possibly some cross over to other applications?) has a minor variable (the location of the rear most wire loom tab) as well as the drivers side having the stand off located further back. They both have unique parts book numbers for the application so that makes sense. However, this does not explain my blue example of the drivers side with the stand off located further back. Can anyone find out of the TA/AAR number crosses over to any other applications?

From the low mile T/A, passenger side first;

Driver's side;

Thanks Barry, have you seen any AAR/TA cars with the typical stand off locations (further forward) and the rear wire loom tab on the pass side forward of where Steves example is? How about any without the large pass side wire loom flap, but rather with just 3 small tabs?

From what I have seen & recall....

3 small tabs, 1969 & earlier.

Full inner tab loom 1970 to ?

The last time the loom stand placement came up here, (3 years or so ago?) the placement varied in several cases on known original examples. It seemed to indicate that as long as the stands were in the right "general" area, they were correct.

Does anyone know how to drag that thread up from the past? It did grate on some nerves, but the info was quite interesting.

Barry the 3 tabs that you refer to as 69 and earlier came back into play after 71 on most covers, other than that I pretty much recalled it the same as you did. But according to my one original (orange with 3 tabs) paint set, at least some 70-71 340's had them as well which is one of the reasons I posted, trying to learn more about the various applications over the years but particularly 70&71......Hopefully someone can dig up that old thread.

Also Barry. What is the height of the drivers side standoff on the T/A one you have. I seam to remember 2 different heights for the driver side. Maybe the T/A one is higher?

the long center tab "heat shield" is present on 68 and 69 340's as well as 67 273 hipo covers,both 68 and 69 340 have different part #'s for the rh covers than 273/318

Steve,
My car had MT aluminum covers when I bought it, so I do not have originals here to measure.

I am planning on running a custom set when that time comes for me.

ademon, that's right, in fact I VERY few photos of "OE" correct 70&71 340 engines and under hoods (especially 71's).

Seems that they have been ignored, abused, and undervalued for so long that most of them have had "liberties" taken with them at one time or another, or have been restored incorrectly due to lack of knowledge. It's always something like valve covers, headers, swapped wrong year oem parts, ignition, etc.

did 318's in 71 come with the same valve covers? because the valve covers that originally came off my scamp dont have the large stand off on the drivers side.

here's another pic of the same v/c repainted.

318 V/C's look very close but driverside has the short stand off and pass side does not have the heat sheild, just a extra wire holder where the sheild would be.

this will help

biz, your pic doesn't load

these came off an august 69 dated engine assy..car was built mid november from los angeles... one owner car..never messed with, no large wire loom holder

ANOTEHR SET I AM SELLING